Thom Hartmann: Would you like a side of the flu with your order?

Watch out the next time you go out for dinner - because your waiter or waitress might have the flu and be coughing all over your food - because they aren't allowed to take sick days. Should we really be patronizing restaurants that would rather have sick employees than provide healthcare?

1. List of restaurants that do not offer paid sick leave

Each year the Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC) United publishes a guide on the working conditions in popular America restaurants. In their latest guide, the following restaurants are noted for not providing paid sick leave:

2. find me a restaurant that does offer paid sick leave...

It only applies to management - usually in corporate restaurants. The only corporate restaurant I worked for was Applebees. For non-management - it's "cover your shift, and if you can't, you have to come in, or bring a doctor's note your next shift." Which is typical for most restaurants. Where I work now, it's "no way are you coming in here sick". You don't get paid, but at least you won't get written up for being sick or have to spend $100 at a doctor's office, just to get a note.

4. nothing for Maine either...

I've been in the restaurant industry for 17 years now....I've yet to see one restaurant with paid sick leave - and aside from where I work now, I don't know of one restaurant in my area that has a reasonable policy on sick employees.